he Mastercard Golden Lions will defend the Women’s First Division title they won in 2019 against Free State in Johannesburg on Saturday, after the final had to be postponed last week.

The match will now take place at Emirates Airline Park on Saturday, with kick-off scheduled for 13h00. The action will be streamed live on https://www.springboks.rugby/" rel="nofollow - Springboks.rugby .

Both the Mastercard Golden Lions Women and Free State were unbeaten in the pool stages of the First Division. The winner will play a promotion-relegation match against the Cell C Sharks Women to determine which side plays in the Premier Division next season.

With uneven team numbers in Group 1 and 2 of the First Division, the Johannesburgers had the luxury of an extra match, but despite this they still boast a better defensive record than the Bloemfontein outfit, and that is a strength they will be committed to building on in the final.

The Mastercard Golden Lions Women did not concede a single try during the pool stage and scored 23 (in three matches), while the Free Staters scored 13 and conceded four tries in their two encounters (both sides had one of their pool clashes cancelled due to COVID).

Women’s First Division Final – Mastercard Golden Lions Women v Free State

Date: Saturday, 24 July

Time: 13h00 (live stream on https://www.springboks.rugby/" rel="nofollow - Venue: Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg

Referee: Siyanda Pikoli

Assistant referees: Ashleigh Murray-Pretorius and local appointment